Molly Ivins

I heard Molly Ivins --and talked to her afterward--on a (now infamous) panel with Bill O'Reilly and Al Franken at the Book Expo in L.A. She held her own when the two men started verbally fighting. (For the story of this altercation, see USA TODAY or CBS.com or Google it--there are plenty of reconstructions of the event.) I was actually there at this event, and it was a bit unsettling, but admittedly entertaining. I felt sorry for Molly who was not a part of the fight, and another panel member had cancelled, so she was the odd person out. Yet, she was humorous to the finish of this luncheon and panel. I can only imagine what she was thinking: "There the men go again! Some things never change." (Personally, I thought Franken sounded like the bigger ass during the fight, as I was there to witness it. But, both men were behaving badly.) Later, when I spoke to her, she said, "Honey, this was quite a lunch" (or very close to those words).
A nice piece appears in Slate.com about Molly, and there are numerous others. Slate quote: "She hated phonies and D.C. insiders and bemoaned the demise of independent journalism, writing: 'If you are a younger journalist … how are you to know that there's another way to do it? A whole different tradition? That success is not becoming a talking head celebrity, saying what everyone else says?'" So true! She really didn't like the whole D.C. posturing. I didn't agree with her on many political issues, but I liked her chutzpah, and my admiration for her and her writing increased tenfold after I saw her on this panel in 2003. Yes, I read many of her columns, even when not always agreeing with what she said. I still enjoyed her writing! Perhaps this is the benefit of being a 'centrist' (or just being interested in all types of styles of writing). I know many people on the left and right who rarely or never listen to or read any other side but their own, and that's sad. I read numerous papers, magazines, and e-zines written from myriad biases (as every writer has a bias), but that, to me, is educational. Also, there is nothing wrong with disagreeing with a position. I don't mind getting riled up - it makes me consider my own position. I won't say which side of the political spectrum is most close-minded about looking at other points of view....I'll leave it alone..for now.
So, I will say "Auf Wiedersehen" to Molly, and I hope there are plenty of people with whom you can spar wherever you may be going next! I'm so glad I got to meet you.